Williamson, Harry Ward (Warrant Officer)

158 Squadron (Strength In Unity). Halifax aircraft BB 203 crashed at Manor Farm, Cornborough, Yorkshire. Pilot Officer J.F. Withy (RAF) and three other RAF members of the crew were also killed.

On 16th July 1942 the airmen in this Halifax were engaged on a Conversion Flight flying out of East Moor airfield. On board were three pilots and two flight engineers, one of the pilots was an instructor and two were pilots converting from Wellingtons to Halifaxes. The aircraft was said to have been returning to East Moor and it had passed over the Dalby and Whenby area at a low level, up to now the flight had gone well but as it flew towards base to local residents it seemed to be flying too low to avoid a crash, some of these locals set off on their bicycles knowing that it wouldn't be long before they got to where the aircraft would crash. The aircraft flew on at this low level for some way. The pilot of the Halifax began his approach to land at East Moor airfield, it was thought that he overshot his turn that would have lined him up with the runway and then tried to over-correct this turning error by increased banking, this however caused a stall to the aircraft. The early Halifax rudder over balance problem was also thought to have been a contributing factor to the crash. By this stage the aircraft was too low to avoid the inevitable, the stall and the increased banking caused the aircraft to clip a chimney stack on Cornborough Villa, west of Sheriff Hutton. Soon afterwards, at 11.37hrs, it crashed into the paddock near the farm before coming to rest again a tree. A fire took hold. Two brothers, Arthur and George Pearson, were in a near-by farm, Cornborough Manor, at the time, hearing the crash they rushed to the scene, entered the wreckage and were able to drag one airman out of the flames. Sadly this airman died of his injuries soon after, the other four airmen were killed instantly by the crash. The house was later repaired following a successful insurance claim.